Gyeongbokgung (Gyeongbok Palace) is a palace located in northern Seoul, South Korea. It was the main and largest palace of the Joseon Dynasty and one of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty.

The palace was originally constructed in 1394 by Jeong Do-jeon, a Korean architect. The palace was burnt down during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598). It was reconstructed during 1860s as a massive 330 building complex with 5,792 rooms. Standing on 4,414,000 square feet (410,000 square meters) of land, it was a symbol of majesty for the Korean people and the home of the royal family. Soon after the assassination of Empress Myeongseong by the Japanese agents in 1895, her husband, Gojong of Korea left the palace and the imperial family would never return.

In 1911, the government of Japan demolished all but 10 buildings during the period of Korea under Japanese rule, constructing the Japanese General Government Building for the Governor-General of Korea in front of the throne hall.

The major buildings on the site include Geunjeongjeon, the Imperial throne room (national treasure number 223), and Gyeonghoeru Pavilion (national treasure number 224), which stands in an artificial lotus lake and rests on 48 granite pillars. The pavilion is depicted on the Korean banknotes of 10,000 won.

Today the palace is open to the public, and the National Folk Museum of Korea is located on the site. The National Museum of Korea was there too, until it was relocated to Yongsan-gu in 2005.

Many Koreans still hope to resurrect part of the original palace. Archeological work has brought 330 building foundations to light. However, the original magnificence of the palace may never be fully restored. Fortunately, the main gate into the palace called Gwanghwamun is now being restored to its original state to be completed in 2009.

[Source: Wikipedia]

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